Thursday, 10 November 2016

Urban Green Spaces – St. Dunstan in the East

London is without doubt the
busiest city in the UK. No matter the time of day or night there is
always traffic. Airplanes nosily pass by overhead every couple of
minutes. Despite the tightly packed buildings there is always the
rumble of more building work going on. Whether living, working or
visiting such a hectic place a little green haven is needed and in
the City of London you're never too far from one.

Around the City of London
there are over 200 gardens and open green spaces. Some of these have
been long established as large parks and fields. Others have come
about through world changing events. Tucked away in a corner of the
city is St. Dunstan in the East. The first church built on this site
was established in Saxon times. It was restored by Dunstan in 950.
Dunstan later became Archbishop of Canterbury and canonised in 1029
with the church being dedicated to him.

Being located in the City of
London it was one of the thousands of buildings affected by the Great
Fire of London in 1666. It was partially rebuilt by Sir Christopher
Wren with a tower and steeple added. By the 19th century
it was found the building had serious structural problems and it was
decided to rebuild it completely with Wren's tower and steeple being
incorporated in the new building.

One thing the church
couldn't escape from was the falling bombs during the Blitz of 1941.
Wren's tower and steeple survived again along with the north and
south walls. After the war the Anglican Church had to make a decision
on which churches it would repair and it decided to leave St. Dunstan
as a ruin. The parish was combined with the nearby All Hallows by the
Tower.

Despite being ruins it was
designated Grade I listed building status in 1950. It took some years
to decide what to do with the space until in 1967 the City of London
announced it would be turned into a public garden. It was finally
opened in 1970. Last year maintenance and improvement works took
place to help revitalise the garden for its visitors. While we were
there two people were tidying up the garden with work also being
carried out on the stonework.

As I wandered around to the
side of the church I spotted on one of the walls a little plaque
stating that the fig tree, which still seemed to be in place in front
of it, was planted by the Coronation Planting Committee. This was a
scheme organised throughout what was still known as the British
Empire and other places overseas. The idea was to organise tree
planting in preparation for the coronation of King George VI on 12th
May 1937. I've never come across any others before and I do wonder
how many trees have survived over the years – this one obviously
just beat the Blitz.

I love the way nature exists in even the most built up of cities ... and it is easy to see how she can take over derelict buildings. I too wonder how many of those trees planted by the Coronation Planting Committee have survived. #HDYGG

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